Case Number 02491

FearDotCom

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All Rise...

The Charge

Want to see a really killer website?

Opening Statement

There are certain film genres that make me wince with a dread of boredom. One
such category is that of "cyber/Internet" movies. You know what I'm
talking about—films like Johnny Mnemonic,
Virtuosity, The Lawnmower Man, and Strangeland are all
based around the idea of the Internet or electronic hokum. And none of them
ended up being very good. Maybe it's because the Internet just doesn't make for
a very interesting character. In any case, here comes the techno horror thriller
FearDotCom starring Stephen Dorff (Blade), Natascha McElhone (Ronin), and Stephen Rea (The Crying Game), now on DVD care of Warner
Home Entertainment.

Facts of the Case

The Internet is used for multiple purposes. You can find out new info on your
favorite sports team. Or download the newest chicken casserole recipe. Or find
yourself bleeding from your eyes right before keeling over dead!

On the website feardotcom.com folks are able to watch a crazy genius (Rea)
torture and slaughter innocent victims. Those sick souls who tune into this site
are treated to a grizzly death themselves exactly 48 hours later. An
investigating detective (Dorff) and a health inspector (McElhone) are the only
ones who know what dangers lie in the demented site and its
"influence" on the visitors. Can they solve the mystery before
everyone succumbs to a horrible, ill fated demise more painful than seeing Bill
Gates naked?

The Evidence

I felt kinda stupid while watching FearDotCom. The plot, what there is
of it, had me baffled beyond all recognition. Things didn't make sense. Elements
never gelled. To make sure that my IQ wasn't dropping rapidly with each passing
day (which often happens when I travel through parts of Indiana), I read over
Roger Ebert's review and was relieved to see that I wasn't the only one who
didn't understand the film's narrative (though he enjoyed the visuals far more
than I did).

The movie is a hodgepodge of various horror elements spliced together with
scenes that seem directly lifted directly from a David Fincher film. The story
takes place in a city that is always dark and dreary with rain splattering every
paved street. No wonder there's an insane doctor running around cutting people
up on the 'net—I might be tempted to go a little wacky too, had I been
forced to live in a city such as FearDotCom's. This is one of those
movies where the only prevalent colors are blue, black, and
white—everything is under a perpetual cloud of darkness.

And how apt that the mood is under a dismal cloud, since the storyline is
under an even thicker one. The main problem with FearDotCom is that it
makes no sense. While I might be able to buy that a website can kill people, I
don't buy how it kills people in this film. It apparently makes their
darkest fear come to life, though it's never very clear how this all works. Is
it magic? Electronic wizardry? From a supernatural powwow? Right before their
death, the folks always see a little girl in white playing with a rubber ball.
This is meant to symbolize…ah, but I don't want to be the one who spoils
FearDotCom's secrets (even if they are fairly lame). Let's just say that
once the explanation crops up, most of you will be scratching your heads in
complete annoyance. And don't even get me started on the ending!

The actors here are all far above this material. I don't know how the
filmmakers were able to wrangle Stephen Rea into playing the demented website
host. Talking in a creepy, nerdy vocal tone and dressed like my dentist, Rea
does a fine job making his character genuinely weird. Unfortunately, there's not
much to him—aside of spouting out complicated lines about the perversion
of watching Internet porn, the character is generally kept in the dark. Stephen
Dorff and Natascha MeElhone work fine as the respective leads, though their
characters are thinly written by screenwriter Josephine Coyle. How many
variations on the grizzled detective can we see before the whole thing spirals
into self parody? At least character actor Jeffery Combs (Re-Animator, The Frighteners) pops up to inject
some much needed levity into all this gloomy seriousness.

For your horror fans (and let's face it—if you've read this far,
that's you), the gore and violence is there if you want it, though it's nothing
particularly exciting. A few dead bodies, some severed limbs, a little bit of
blood—it makes one long for the days of the mindless slasher genre. I can
appreciate and respect what the filmmakers were attempting to achieve
here—the film is slickly made and at least attempts to be different.
Unfortunately, FearDotCom's come up long on ideas and short on
scares.

FearDotCom is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. Once again,
Warner's video work here is excellent—this transfer features bright colors
and sharp black levels. The detail in the image is sharp without any major flaws
or imperfections marring the image. While I wasn't crazy about the movie, there
is no denying that this is a great and solid effort by the folks over at
Warner.

The soundtrack is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround in English and
French. The sound mix on this disc is almost as good as the
transfer—bombastic and very exciting. There are a multitude of sound
effects creeping out of both the front and rear speakers, making this a very
enjoyable surround sound mix. All aspects of the mix are free and clear of any
excessive hiss or distortion. Also included on this disc are English, French and
Spanish subtitles.

For a film that didn't perform very well in theaters, Warner has doled out a
fair amount of extra features on this DVD edition of the film. Here's a rundown
of what's on this disc:

Commentary Track by Director William Malone and Director of Photography
Christian Sebaldt: I listened to about half of this track and found it to be
quite informative. It's obvious that both men worked hard on the film, and while
their efforts aren't all that successful it's nice to know that they gave it a
good shot. Lots of production information is included in this track, plus a
rather funny anecdote about character actor Udo Kier.

FearDotCom: Visions of Fear: This is a brief behind-the-scenes short
that includes interviews with actors Jeffrey Combs, Natascha McElhone, and
Stephen Dorff, and director William Malone (Malone also helmed the terrible
remake House on Haunted Hill0. A
few tidbits of info are included here, though the bulk of this featurette is
just talking random heads and clips from the film.

"The Mushroom Factory" Deleted Scene: This rough looking
non-anamorphic scene features a man getting killed in—imagine this—a
mushroom factory. Nothing particularly exciting. An introduction by the director
is also included.

Finally there are a few cast and crew highlights, a short photo gallery
(including drawings and storyboards), and a widescreen theatrical trailer for
the film.

Closing Statement

A noble effort, but a failed on nonetheless. I can really only recommend
FearDotCom to hardcore horror fans only. Warner has done better than
average work on this disc considering the movie wasn't very well received.